9.45am: Police are investigating a fire which damaged a house in Moerewa this morning.
Neighbours raised the alarm just before 8am when they saw smoke at the Otiria Rd home.
Kawakawa fire chief Wayne Martin said the neighbours used a garden hose to keep the flames from spreading until firefighters arrived.
Fire crews from Kawakawa and Kerikeri quickly extinguished the blaze, limiting damage to an exterior wall. The interior is thought to have sustained smoke damage.
Mr Martin said the fire, which started at the rear of the weatherboard house, was suspicious.